Thursday, September 30, 2010

Just 11 years and 7 months ago, was our wedding day. Pat and I chose March 27 as our wedding day because it was exactly 1 year, after we met. Our relationship was fast, we met on March 28, we were engaged on Aug 1, and married on March 27th. It was a whirlwind year, but I have absolutely NO REGRETS! We had a beautiful spring day for our wedding. I loved, loved, LOVED my wedding dress. I wish I had other occasions to wear it. All our family was there to support us, along with plenty of friends. We had lot of fun at our reception and I can still remember that feeling of pure happiness that day and evening.

Frankly the only thing I would change about our wedding was the pastor that we had perform our ceremony. Since we weren't members of a church at the time, we had trouble finding a pastor that would marry us. We, of course, wanted to join a church, but hadn't found one yet. So, the first pastor that agreed to marry us, we met with. Unfortunately, his views didn't match up with ours and we didn't find out until the week before our wedding. After the wedding, we never stepped foot in that church again. We found another church shortly after and became members. Of course, that pastor said he would have married us, but the woman I had spoke with on the phone that day had turned me away. Also the church we got married in is no longer a church. It has merged with another church in another building. So, we will never be able to take our children and show them the church we were married in. We can just drive by and see the building.

But, over the whole day, I was so blissfully happy. No part of the day was ruined. Everything was completely wonderful, that I can't look back with regrets. In fact, I would love to do it all over again!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

When I tore off the page and saw this quote, I stopped what I was doing, and I started to cry. I have heard this said many, many times. Especially as someone who is always giving. In fact, I am sure I have given this advice to others before. But, that day, it was exactly what I needed to hear. My tank was completely empty. I was running on fumes. I had nothing left to give. It was a wake-up call for me and helped me change the focus of my week. I haven't done much housework. I have been cooking for my family (which I love). I took a walk with the kids in our beautiful fall weather. I spent some time reading a book I am enjoying. And today, I feel better. The kids had an early dismissal from school, so we are all home early, with no practices tonight. I have supper in the crock pot. The windows and doors are open to let in the beautiful day. The house smells delicious. The boys are sitting at the table with me doing their homework. Tonight we are going to enjoy a movie together. I am refilling my tank. I know I need to be more careful about my tank running low. Because when my tank is low, I am not an enjoyable person to be around. I realize that and am working on keeping my tank full.

That same morning, I came out to our kitchen where I have another calendar with a daily quote on it. (Can you tell I like quotes?) Surprisingly, it related to the other quote. It said,

You can get lonesome being that busy. Isabel Lennart

When you are too busy, you don't have time for friends, for family, for your spouse, or for yourself. I had neglected all of them, and today they are getting my time and my love. I needed these reminders this week and maybe you will too.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Won't you join me in THE 10 DAY GIVE? This is my 3rd year and I have already been thinking of ideas for what I will be doing for those 10 days!

Here is some info about THE 10 DAY GIVE:

The 10 Day Give is a challenge that is designed to help us get our minds off of ourselves and start thinking about how we can help others.

The thing is, I think most people really want to make other people’s lives better, but with everything going on all around us all hours of the day, we just don’t get a chance. This is an opportunity to choose, on purpose, to give of ourselves. There really are hundreds of opportunities that we overlook each day. My goal is to just grab hold of one of them each day.

For some people that means giving money, for others time is far more precious than money, and for others it may mean their expertise in an area. But, no matter who you are, we all have something to give.

It could be taking someone out to lunch, it could be babysitting for an overworked mom, it can as simple as giving your precious time by taking your mom to the park to talk. There are no rules, no judges, and no right or wrong ways of completing the challenge.

But, I encourage you to sign up for the challenge and decide to give whatever you can – it’s only for 10 days. And who knows, maybe it will become a habit.

So, why not decide to take 10 days to give something to a different person, each day. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, how much it costs, who it is given to, or how it is given. The point is to just to give – on purpose. We hope you decide to join us.

If you would like to see some posts about my previous 10 DAY GIVE activities, just click on the year, then October and those posts will be listed. Stay tuned starting October 1st, for postings about my 10 DAY GIVE challenge!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Things I Love....
This is my feature where I get to share something that I just love. Since you are my friends, I like sharing things I love with others. It could be anything from a new product, food, recipe, song, image, to a person and everything in between. This will be something I am completely doing on my own, without pressure or compensation from a company, author, PR/Marketing firm, friend, business owner, etc. This will just be something that makes me happy and I want to share it with you. Enjoy some love!

Today's love is.................

Sleeping in! I absolutely hate to get up early and LOVE to sleep in. I love being able to snuggle under my down comforter at night knowing that I have nothing I HAVE to get up for. With our kids schedules right now, I don't have too many opportunities to sleep in. But, once in awhile I get a chance to stay in bed an extra half hour or hour and I just LOVE it. Unfortunately, this weekend there will be no sleeping in, but I look forward to the weekend where the calendar is free and the bed will be mine for as long as I want it! May you get a day to sleep in soon!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

I have lots of hobbies, but some I no longer have much time for. I used to cross-stitch, but no more time for that. I tried to take up knitting, but didn't have time for that. I have played the piano since I was a child and still enjoy sitting down and playing out my stress on the keys. But the main hobby I have stuck with is reading. I love to read even though I have trouble even finding time to do that. I review books for publishers, read books for my book club, and read books for pure enjoyment. Reading has always been a way for me to escape. As a child I read all the time, and I have tried to carry that love of reading through to my children as well.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Today I received a little blessing in the form of rain. It had nothing to do with farming, crops, flowers, or anything else that might need rain. It had to do with giving our family a night off. Tuesday nights are usually filled with soccer practice for our daughter and football practice for our 2 boys. We haven't been able to eat supper before 8:00 PM for many nights. (I choose to wait until all of us are home and seated at the table to eat together. I think it is important and something our family needs.) This afternoon we got a heavy thunderstorm that soaked our football and soccer fields and all coaches decided to call off practice. It felt so good to come home, be able to slow down some, spend time helping the kids with homework, making a meal that was eaten at 6:30, and still have time for fun and relaxation before bedtime. These days are few and far between right now, and I was very thankful for this blessing of rain today.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Things I love..............
This is my feature where I get to share something that I just love. Since you are my friends, I like sharing things I love with others. It could be anything from a new product, food, recipe, song, image, to a person and everything in between. This will be something I am completely doing on my own, without pressure or compensation from a company, author, PR/Marketing firm, friend, business owner, etc. This will just be something that makes me happy and I want to share it with you. Enjoy some love!

Today's love is.................

Hershey's Bliss White Chocolate Meltaway. I have always loved white chocolate and this summer while visiting Hershey, Pennsylvania, I found these delicious little chocolates. After touring the Hershey Chocolate World and learning the history of Milton Hershey and the Hershey company, I was deeply moved. Mr. Hershey never gave up and kept trying to perfect his chocolate. Each time he would fail and he kept trying. After he and his wife couldn't have children, they opened a school and home for orphaned boys in Hershey, PA. They then left a 60+ MILLION endowment towards the school to keep it going for many generations. The school now reaches girls and boys who are orphaned or their families are just not able to provide for their education. I was very impressed with the community and how well the employees are treated and how we were treated as their customers.

Now on to the chocolate! After a long day, or whenever I just need a little something sweet, I go to my secret stash in my closet and grab a Bliss. The White Chocolate Meltaway Bliss offers a creamy white outer layer. It then conceals a rich vanilla flavored meltaway center that cascades delectable white chocolate notes across the tongue. Doesn't that just sound wonderful?

So, if you need a chocolate fix, I highly recommend ANY Hershey's chocolate, but if you like white chocolate, check out Hershey's Bliss White Chocolate Meltaway. I've seen them available in stores for $2.99. To learn more, go to http://www.hersheys.com/.

I was not compensated in any way for this post. I just wanted to share some love with you!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The countdown has begun. It is only 100 days until Christmas! This could be your year to plan ahead and get everything lined up so you aren't rushing out at the last minute to get all the gifts you need.

Today would be a great day to start saving up some money for Christmas. Put aside all your spare change or save a certain amount of money each week. Every little bit helps so you aren't charging your purchases or trying to come up with the money all at once.

One thing that I do each year is make a list of every person I need to buy gift/gifts for. Then I keep that list in my purse. When I see something while I am shopping I can pick it up and mark it down on my list. I keep all my gifts in a closet, but since they are all written down, I don't have to worry about trying to remember what I bought for who. This list also helps me think about who I am buying for so I can be looking for things as I am doing my regular shopping. You never know when you might find a really good deal on something special for your aunt or nephew. This list also helps immensely with keeping track of the gifts for our kids. I keep a list for each child and also keep track of whether it is from Santa, for stocking stuffers, or from us. This helps me keep it relatively even between all the kids. Also, since our daughter's birthday is right after Christmas, I keep a list for that as well. It is really difficult to shop after Christmas for her, so I do all her birthday shopping when I do our Christmas shopping. I keep each years list to make sure I am not giving someone the same gift.

I know this may sound like a lot, but I make an effort to get gifts for people that I think they will appreciate. By making these lists it helps keep me much more organized and hopefully spending less money.

Now would also be a good time, if you have a large family, to talk about who is going to host the holiday celebrations (including Thanksgiving). Getting all those dates figured out on your calendar and knowing who is responsibile for hosting makes the holidays go smoother when everyone knows where they are expected to be.

One of my favorite books for planning and getting into the Christmas spirit is A SCRAPBOOK OF CHRISTMAS FIRSTS. For more on this book, you can check out my review of here. You can also check out their blog at http://scrapbookofchristmasfirsts.blogspot.com/.

Start making your lists and checking them twice, because in just 100 days it will all be over and we'll be wishing that this time hadn't gone by so fast!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Do you like jewelry? How about FREE jewelry??? Yeah, you know I do! So, when I was approached about trying out FREE earrings, I didn't turn it down! You need to check out http://www.diamondearrings.org/ right away. They are trying to get the word out about their website, and to do that, they are giving away FREE earrings! It is totally simple to get your own pair of simulated diamond stud earrings. All you have to do is visit http://www.diamondearrings.org/ and order your very own pair of earrings. You just pay a small fee of $3.77 to have them shipped to you.

I love my earrings. They are just the right size. They sparkle. They are pretty. They don't irritate my ears. All good qualities in a pair of earrings! They even come in a pretty little box!

I was provided with a pair of earrings for this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. I wouldn't review any product unless it is something either myself or my family could benefit from.

I have been a little MIA (Missing In Action) lately when it comes to blogging. It has had to take a back seat to everything else going on in our lives. I have started my 6 week long-term substituting, the boys are in 4 night/week football practices every evening, our daughter started soccer, plus homework, band lessons, piano lessons, and dance all have to be worked in during the week. Then I do try to cook a decent meal, keep laundry clean, and have a somewhat "clean" house. Along with all my other responsibilities outside of the home, you can see why blogging hasn't been at the forefront of my mind.

But, there have been lots of things I have been thinking about and things I plan to write in the near future. They are all up in my head and if I have just a few hours one of these nights, I will get those all typed up. Until then, I wanted to share a few things.

1- I started my Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class today. There are classes all over the US and the world. I have been going to this Bible study for 4 years now. This year we will be studying the Book of Isaiah. It will be challenging and convicting, but I am ready for it because I know it will also give me Hope! It is important enough to me that I took Wednesday mornings off from subbing so I can still attend BSF. To find a group in your area, go to http://www.bsfinternational.org/.

2- Today would have been my mother-in-law, Margaret's 78th birthday. We miss her so much. She left us nearly 4 years ago. I am sad that she isn't here to enjoy her grandchildren. She would have loved watching them play in their sports and watch them in their theatre performances and just be here to watch them grow up. But I know that she is watching us from above and living a glorious new life with Jesus. We miss you Grandma Margaret!

3- I am loving all the pumpkin stuff that is arriving in the stores. I told you about my love for Pumpkin Spice lattes (I've had 2 so far). Then Sunday, I found Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts at Target. I had to have them. I know they are full of sugar and not healthy for you, but they are yummy! I am sure they are a limited time item, so you better rush out and pick them up. I haven't seen the pumpkin pie spice creamer in the stores yet but, I am sure it will be arriving soon. I am hungry for homemade pumpkin bars and pumpkin pie. I may have to make some this weekend. I think fall is in the air and soon our leaves will be changing. This is my favorite time of year, and I look forward to making time this weekend to get all my fall decor out. It makes me want to snuggle on the couch with my favorite blanket with a cup of cider and some candy corn. How about you?

So, that is what is going on with me. Thanks for hanging out with me. Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me your favorite thing about fall!

Friday, September 10, 2010

This is my feature where I get to share something that I just love. Since you are my friends, I like sharing things I love with others. It could be anything from a new product, food, recipe, song, image, to a person and everything in between. This will be something I am completely doing on my own, without pressure or compensation from a company, author, PR/Marketing firm, friend, business owner, etc. This will just be something that makes me happy and I want to share it with you. Enjoy some love!

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

This product makes me happy because I like how it makes my hair feel! I use this product once a week on my hair. You leave it on for 5-10 minutes and let it do its job and rinse out. Afterwards you hair will be smooth and silky! I love it!

I order this product from http://www.drugstore.com/, but it is possible it is available in stores as well. It is regularly priced at $6.99, but I wait until it goes on sale and then stock up!

I love having a "good hair day" and this product is sure to give me one, at least one day out of the week! I can also see a difference in my hair on a regular basis. It doesn't get so dried out after using the straightener and blow dryer all the time.

Monday, September 6, 2010

I have been struggling with some parenting decisions this last week. Just over a week ago, our 2 boys were walking home from school with a friend. Since we live in the same town as the high school, there are frequent occasions that the high school drivers are driving faster than they should or too crazy. That was the case when our son had to jump into the ditch to miss one of these high school drivers who sped out around the corner and swerved his car right at the kids. The boys did the right thing by running home and telling us right away. Fortunately, the incident was witnessed by the football coaches across the street and identified the driver. He got a lecture from them, the principal and the sheriff after I made my report. Unfortunately, nothing was done beyond that. He is also the kind of kid who tends to not learn from his mistakes. (I know this is a judgmental statement, but he is someone who frequently makes poor choices.). Anyway, now that I have started a 6 week substitute teaching job, I was extremely worried about the boys, along with their 5 year old sister, walking home after school. Some of the struggles I have been having are...

How do I balance trusting that God will protect them, along with me being a "helicopter mom"?
How do I protect them from potential dangers yet let them learn from situations?
How do I protect my kids but not the several other kids who also have to walk home?
Is it my job to protect them or should I just leave it up to God?

Then, this weekend I had a great conversation with another mom friend. She gave me another way of looking at things. She talked about how she was praying for God to protect her kids every day, but then after talking with her pastor, she realized, God is naturally going to protect our kids, because they are His kids first! He is guarding and protecting them every day, so asking Him to protect them, is like asking me if I will love my kids. It is obvious. Pray to Him for other things, like growing their faith, their future spouses, their decisions, etc.

So, one question answered, but what about the rest? I still don't know yet. As for now, I am intervening and having the kids walk through the school yard to the high school and straight to my classroom. There are no streets to cross, no traffic to worry about, and they aren't going home to an empty house. I don't know if it is the right decision or not. Some may call me a "helicpoter mom", but it is the decision I can live with. I don't have to worry and maybe that is how God is protecting them, by Him giving me that idea to have the kids walk to me.

I know this is one of many, many decisions I will have to make as the kids get older. Soon they will be driving, going out with friends, being exposed to poor choices, etc. But, I will handle each one of those knowing that God is protecting them and giving me the ability to make the best choices I can as a parent.

Friday, September 3, 2010

This is my feature where I get to share something that I just love. Since you are my friends, I like sharing things I love with others. It could be anything from a new product, food, recipe, song, image, to a person and everything in between. This will be something I am completely doing on my own, without pressure or compensation from a company, author, PR/Marketing firm, friend, business owner, etc. This will just be something that makes me happy and I want to share it with you. Enjoy some love!

Today's love is.................

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

On Tuesday, Starbucks began offering its seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte at its stores. I had gotten the email from Starbucks that they were going to be available. So, I set up a date with me and pumpkin spice for Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. The Starbucks Pumpkin Bread is also one of my standbys. I have often had a slice for lunch or supper while shopping at Target. I don't know how they make it so moist and thick and delicious! So, on Tuesday morning, I slowly drank my Pumpkin Spice Latte, ate my Pumpkin Bread and read a book while sitting at my local Starbucks and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. This is something I RARELY get to do. That morning as I was parking my car in the Starbucks parking lot, I got a phone call that the next day, I would begin subbing for a teacher for 6 weeks. So, my vacation was officially over, which made the Latte even more enjoyable!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

This is a new feature that I am doing along with several other blogs called Tell The Truth Thursday. We have to truthfully all answer the same question. Who knows? You might just learn something new about me and if you asked yourself the same question, you might just learn something about yourself.

Are you a morning, afternoon, evening or night time person? Has it changed over the years?

I have NEVER been a morning person. I like to sleep in. I don't like getting up early. It takes me awhile to get going in the morning. I LOVE laying in bed, even if I am awake, just enjoying the quiet and comfort of my bed. Although a good cup of French Vanilla coffee can get me going in the morning. I would have to say that I am an afternoon/evening person. I can't stay up as late as I used to, but after the kids get home from school, I am usually pretty motivated to get stuff done, then after putting the kids in bed, I tend to have another burst of energy to get things done. I also like the quietness of the house at night when the kids are sleeping. So, this is when I might get some of my more quieter tasks complete.

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On this blog you will find book and product reviews as well as tips and snippets from our life in small-town Iowa. As a married mom of 3, I keep plenty busy with their activities. In my spare time, I substitute teach, volunteer in our community, read, play scrabble,and drink wine. I also write for the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

This blog offers reviews as well as giveaways. Each post will explain the compensation related to that review and/or giveaway. There are also various links on this website that are part of an affiliate program. I may receive compensation based on purchases through that link. Everything on my site offers items that either I or my family could benefit from. I wouldn't offer anything that we wouldn't use or enjoy ourselves.

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